Cretaceous to present-day tectonic reconstructions of Zealandia
Hannu Seebeck A D , Dominic Strogen A , Peter King A , Andrew Nicol B , Ben Hines C and Grant O’Brien AA GNS Science, PO Box 30-368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand.
B Department of Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
C School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Cotton Building, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6012, New Zealand.
D Corresponding author. Email: h.seebeck@gns.cri.nz
The APPEA Journal 58(2) 852-857 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ17117
Accepted: 9 March 2018 Published: 28 May 2018
Abstract
Reconstructions of the past relative positions of northern and southern Zealandia provide important constraints on the orientation and amount of strain accumulated between rigid plates within the Australia–Pacific plate tectonic circuit. This configuration of plates ultimately determines how, where and when sedimentary basins formed during and since continental breakup along the eastern margin of Gondwana.
Although the first-order geometry of Zealandia is well established, uncertainty remains regarding plate motions through the latest Cretaceous to Eocene. Recent reconstructions are, in some cases, inconsistent with geological observations at key time intervals, highlighting uncertainties inherent in plate reconstructions for the south-west Pacific.
Building on previous tectonic reconstructions and incorporating published seafloor magnetic interpretations, paleomagnetic observations and geological constraints (e.g. terrane geometry and distribution), we developed a tectonic framework to reconstruct Zealandia back through to the latest Cretaceous.
Using GPlates, we use a simple double-hinge slat concept to describe Neogene deformation within the New Zealand plate boundary zone, while the geometry of northern and southern Zealandia during the Eocene is modified from recently published models based on geologic considerations. This study ultimately highlights the need for integrated studies of the Zealandia plate circuit.
Keywords: New Zealand, paleomagnetic observations, plate boundary deformation, plate tectonic reconstructions.
Hannu Seebeck currently works as a structural geologist in GNS Science’s Department of Petroleum Geoscience, where his work focuses on New Zealand’s North-western Province incorporating Taranaki, Deep-water Taranaki, Northland and Reinga Basins. Previously, Hannu completed an MSc in the interplay between active tectonics and volcanism at Victoria University of Wellington and a PhD in various aspects of faults and fluid flow at the University of Canterbury. Hannu’s research interests cover a wide range of fields from fault permeability and fluid flow to subduction zone processes and plate reconstructions. |
Dominic Strogen is a geologist at GNS Science with a PhD from the University of Reading, with expertise in the fields of sedimentology, basin analysis, petrography, petroleum geology, and the paleogeographic evolution of New Zealand’s sedimentary basins. Dominic presently leads the ‘ZMap (Tectonic reconstructions of Zealandia)’ project, as part of the Sedimentary Basins Research programme at GNS Science, which includes aspects of the structural, seal and reservoir geology of Taranaki and frontier basins of Zealandia. |
Peter King was the leader of the GNS Science’s Petroleum Basin Research programme from 2000–2015. Peter is an applied sedimentary geologist, with expertise in the sub-disciplines of sedimentology and stratigraphy as well as developing tectonic reconstructions, paleogeographic and depositional environment models of Zealandia as well as being an honorary affiliate of a petroleum-industry funded research consortium (Stanford University Project on Deep-water Depositional Systems). Peter’s research outputs are applied primarily in petroleum exploration and subsurface reservoir characterisation. |
Andrew Nicol is a structural geologist with a PhD from Canterbury University who was based at GNS Science for 20 years from 1995. Presently he has a position at Canterbury University and continues to work closely with members of the Petroleum Geoscience Department at GNS. In recent years his research has included work on faults and their impact on fluid migration and CO2 storage. Andrew has studied structures throughout New Zealand, with a current focus on the Taranaki Basin, and at many locations overseas. This work has led to numerous collaborations with international colleagues, including the Fault Analysis Group in Ireland. |
Ben Hines has recently submitted a PhD to Victoria University of Wellington, researching the evolution of the East Coast Basin, New Zealand, focusing on the paleoenvironmental evolution of the basin through the integration of structural, stratigraphic, thermochronological, geochemical and paleontological datasets. |
Grant O’Brien currently works as a geophysics technician across GNS Science’s Marine and Petroleum Geoscience Departments. His work includes undertaking marine, airborne and terrestrial geophysical surveys to further discover Zealandia and Antarctica, seismic data processing and 3D modelling. Previously Grant completed an MSc investigating earthquake-induced permeability changes and triggering. |
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